Yes. Turns out, I was! And all day, either no one noticed; or they noticed but didn't say anything; or, they thought I was making a bizarre and perhaps creative fashion statement by wearing two completely different earrings. One was just a simple drop silver spiral - not large by any means, perhaps the size of a quarter. The other is a dangly turquise number that hangs maybe four inches, with beads and stuff. THAT was the earring I intentionally put on. Who knows how I mistakenly grabbed the other and put it on without noticing.
And yes, this IS as exciting as my life gets. If you are still reading, congratulations! But judging from the almost complete disappearance of any comments, I think all my readers have left me. I may, actually, stop blogging...
I'm home! Or am I? It's always weird coming back here to Alaska just as it's unexplainably weird to return to Oregon. The cliche says "home is where the heart is," but what about when your heart is neatly divided between two places? That's when it gets confusing. The upside is, there is always great happiness upon arriving at any destination. And, as usual, my journey south was hardly lacking for adventure, fun, and love from family and friends.
It started with the "Seattle Tour," with a 5 a.m. arrival last Monday. Erin and I hopped a morning bus to Everett, hooked up with Scott and Rebecca, and journeyed to their very cute house for a marathon of watching Zoolander (I'd actually never seen it) and Lost (Scott and Rebecca are new converts) and enjoying good food. I'd had two and a half hours sleep but made it up til after 2 a.m.
The next day, Scott and Erin and I toured Everett and saw Scott's newsroom at The Herald and ended up at Target... That night, Nicole took me to drinks at a swanky new Seattle bar, then we met my sister at this awesome yummy pizza place for dinner last night. Via Trabioni? Something like that. Really amazing thin-crusted Italian-style pizza. Then we discovered the Rosebud, a shabby-chic bar down the block with $2 rum and diets!! Yes, I was a happy campter.
Wednesday was a true sister-bonding day. Erin and I first walked to the Seattle Tattoo Emporium, where I got a new decoration...
Then we veered down Pike Street to the market. Ah, but first, merchandise beckoned! We went to the big Old Navy store, and Urban Outfittters, and SEPHORA : ) Then to the market...
... where we went to the Beechers cheese store, ate free curds, bought some more, and shared a tiny, rich container of the best macaroni and cheese ever. Then we hopped up a block to the Italian wine place and did a wine tasting and enjoyed free nibbles like baguette topped with olive spreads and pestos, and tastes of potato soup dotted with white truffle oil.... 
We bought a bottle of wine (that came from a sister-run vinyard!) and walked several blocks down to Contour, the bar where Erin's friend Gina works. Gina took very good care of us : )
The next day marked the time to head south to Portland. Nicole came and picked me up, and after some running around (because I am smart and thought my cell was abandoned at Erin's when it was actually in my backpack the entire time), she took me for Vietnamese takeout then dropped me off at the train station so I could hop the commuter train, The Sounder, to Auburn, where I was to meet up with Kat.
The train ride was swift and soon I was standing at the station and Kat arrived. We made it to Portland, and to my mom's house, just after 10 p.m. After a speedy primp fest, we were off to The Doug Fir (thumbs up to that place!) to see the band Jonah -- a group Kat's followed since she went to high school with them in Bend. We caught the second half of their set, then after some hanging-out with an old friend of Kat's, meandered back to Sellwood where we met Clark and his girlfriend Naomi at Pogo's Lounge. It was about 1:30 a.m. by this point... and as closing approached, the group somehow (i was in the bathroom and missed this) ended up getting an invite from a guy Clark sorta knows named Kokoma to go back to his nearby Italian restaurant for free drinks. We ended up there til, oh, 5 a.m.? or thereabouts, drinking free stuff and basically listening to this guy go on and on about himself while playing music. But it was OK since the drinks were free.
The next day, Friday, I had lunch with Mommy, and Gammie hooked up with us there, and then Mom and I went on to New Renaissance, which is this completely peaceful and wonderful new age store in Northwest Portland. Later on that day, after hanging out with the family, Holly arrived... and then finally Kat arrived for her birthday evening at Henry's 12th Street Tavern, which is just on Burnside but basically part of the Pearl Disrict, Portland's uber-trendy area. I've never been to Henry's before and have wanted to visit since it opened. My wedge salad was delish and the drinks were sturdy. When we left, a long line stretched around the block, all dress-up hipsters waiting to get in. Logan rolled his eyes and said, "I am SO over the Pearl." Then we meandered up to The Gypsy in Northwest. It was great because I saw all sorts of old friends whom I've not seen in years, including sorority sisters Christina and Amanda, and also my former bartender Dan!
OK. I need to pick up the pace. Let's see. Well, Saturday was a very special day. Mom, Gammie, Bill, Holly and I headed west along I-84 and crossed over into Washington, then ended up at Horsethief Lake State Park, where there are dozens of Indian petroglyphs (really really really old and super cool rock art) that was removed from what was known as "Petroglyph Canyon" before that area flodded with backwater from the Dalles Dam. This trip was very important to me as the area's most famous petroglyph is She Who Watches. 
There are many legends about this massive and beautiful petroglyph, all inspiring. I have, for years, collected all sorts of objects bearing her image -- plates, postcards, mugs, you name it. But I haven't seen her ever. Partly cause she is far flung from the dense, mossy, basalt-cliffed gorge I know so well, the area I mostly frequent. But also because she is technically rarely accessible. When you arrive at Horsethief there are lots of Petroglyphs right there along the parking area. These images continue along a trail that is closed off to random use and is supposed to be used only with guided weekly tours. But Mom and Bill know where She is located, so we scampered around a baracade and walked along the train tracks on the edge of the river until we came to her. She sits high up on the rocks, and one can only imagine what she has seen during all those years, from her lofty throne. We stood below her taking pictures, quite entranced. There is this breathtaking quality about Her -- at once this confusing combined sense of ancient mystique but soothing familiarity. It was awesome.
Afterward, we had a lovely late lunch at Skamania Lodge and ventured home. That night, I visited my favorite bar, the Limelight, and enjoyed the always enjoyable company of Kat, Holly, Logan, Jay, Scott Johnson (who drove up from Salem) -- and even got to see a childhood pal, Kris. Scott and I shut down Kay's across the street, and he took me home.
Sunday... 
Went to the market with the family in the morning to browse shrubs and flowering plants and delicious food and handmade soaps and pottery and quirky jewelry... 
The gang was all 
there -- Gammie and Mom (eating strawberries) and Bill (in the straw hat and Hawaiian shirt) and Rebecca (in the army-green hat) and Scott (the tall guy) and also Erin and I. The siblings and Reb had driven down the night before from Everett and it was SO fun to see them!
After much family bonding that day, us kids and Gammie and also Holly headed east to Dad's new house in Gresham. It was my first visit there since it was under construction and it turned out gorgeous. I am super jealous of course. Where's my house, damnit!?
Anyway, here's a pic below. Nice, yes? 
Dad was ever the gracious host and made us delicious appetizers -- little pancakey things with some sort of herbed fluffed cream cheese and lox and Italian spices. YUM. And we drank a LOT of wine. I had no idea my dad had amassed such a fun wine collection but there was some good stuff there -- including one called Chateau de Pez which made me so happy I could hardly stand it. Proof is posted below. 
We hung out at Dad's for many long and lazy hours, and some time after 9 p.m., or maybe even 10 p.m. ?? Before we left, of course, we took a gaggle of sibling photos, since I never ever get to hang out with Zach, my very cool (and increasingly tall) half-brother. We shot baskets and hung around the back yard chit-chatting and catching up. It was great to see Karen, who was flushed and happy and exhausted after competing in the Rose Festival dragon boat races -- and scored first place! I was really excited for her. 
Oh - and Will came over too, and it is always great to see my crazy and fun-loving cousin.
After we left Dad's, we headed to Witchita Pub in Milwaukie and met up with Clark, too, and had several drinks there and hung out til the wee hours -- or until they closed and kicked us out, I guess.
The Pesznecker clan wrapped up the evening with one of our token "connection" rituals (and before you accuse us of being weird, I will repeat an oft quoted family saying: "We're not weird, we're Peszneckers."):
Now we're finally to Monday! Wow, this is long. OK, so on Monday, Jessica had arrived in town from Idaho (YAY!) so we headed up to the gorge -- something we always do together. It was a very gorge-y day, lots of mist clinging to the cliffs, shrouding the treetops, a damp air and that wet woodsy scent everywhere. The waterfalls looked gorgeous and we stopped at every single one -- at Jessica's favorite, Latourelle, and at my fave, Wahkeena. We ate at Multnomah Falls Lodge, and ended up back home in time to freshen up before joining Mom, Bill, Holly and Tater for dinner at Gustav's, which of course meant lots of awesome cheese fondue and rousing conversation and debate. After dinner, it was back to the Limelight, for the second and final time. Eric (one of the owners and a good friend) joined Jessica and me for a long nice chat, and just as he was getting ready to head out, Clark and Naomi showed up. Weirdest part was of the few people there that night, one was an old college acquaintance (Dan, if you are reading this, get ready!) -- Nick Jeffress. The name will mean nothing to most people but let's just say it was a shock. He of course went to great smarmy lengths to convince Jess and I to stay out but frankly we were just exhausted and quite happy to go home and go to bed.
Tuesday was an awesome day! We went to ... THE BEACH! And I haven't been to the Oregon Coast since college, unless you count a very brief stop there when I was a van driver for the Hood To Coast relay race (which ends on the beach).
So Jess and I packed up her car and drove west along Highway 26, listening to my new CD of Clark music and swapping old stories. We stopped for lunch/breakfast/whatever at Camp 18, a semi-famous pitstop that is a sort of a monument to logging. Not sure how I feel about that, but the massive log cabin there is just stunning. And the Bigfoot statues are neat!
The restaurant is precisely 18 miles from Seaside so after eating, we arrived at the beach in no time. It was SO GREAT to see the beach again!!
We promptly flocked to the sand and kicked off our shoes and strolled through the (COLD) waves and scanned for shells and just took the most relaxing stroll... 
And then we did all the things tourists do at the beach... played skeeball in the arcade, ate clam chowder, visited the surf shop, bought taffy, and on the way out of town, stopped by the world's largest Sitka Spruce Tree. 
That brings us to Tuesday night, and my last night in Oregon... It actually was fairly mellow. We ended up going to The Kennedy School in Northeast with Clark and Naomi, and had some good food and some good drinks and called it quits some time around 1 a.m. 
On Wednesday, after lunch with Mom at La Carretta, Jess (bless her for all that driving!!) drove me up to Auburn, where we had dinner with Kat... and then Kat (and bless HER for all her driving) drove me to the airport. I arrived back in Anchorage at 12:30 a.m., and Rebecca picked me up. We dumped my stuff and headed to Crossroads where, by chance, Casey and Kirsten and Lillie and Sue and Lewis had gathered. I could only hang out for about a half an hour before returning to the airport for Scott Johnson, who's now here through next Wednesday. We've had a nice couple of days and I got a big nap today. I go back to work Sunday afternoon. Whoo. What a vacation! I packed so much in, saw so many people, and it was SO much fun. Thanks to everyone who helped make it that way!!!
I'm sorry for the lack of posts, but I have been -- and will continue to be -- SO BUSY.
My work hours have been across the boards. I've been writing about a story a day. I'm working another late shift tonight. Tomorrow, thank GODDESS, is my last work day until vacation. But immediately after work tomorrow, it's off to the hillside for Tamara and Shawn's rehearsal (see the happy couple, left). Probably once we're there, I'll start to feel more relaxed. I hope.
After the rehearsal, we're going back to their place for dinner. I have to be back at the wedding site Saturday at 11 a.m. to commence wedding preparations. The ceremony is from 3-4 p.m. Then the reception til roughly 9. And 10 hours later, I will be driving John, Eric and Sarah to the airport, and they're off to Download in the UK. And that night, at about midnight, I fly to Seattle. Ssssssssssss (Sound of air exitting my tires!).
